The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board of Managers approved a proposed 2018 budget of $12,141,892 and a $9,675,993 levy to support it.

The proposed 3.9 percent levy increase would allow the district to continue its focus on improving water quality in the most impaired waterway while working to protect all 129 lakes, eight major streams and thousands of wetlands within the watershed. Annual property taxes on a $300,000 home in the district would increase by about $2.35 per year for district activities.

Next year marks the beginning of the sixth decade of the district’s work to protect and improve the land and water resources within its boundaries. It will be guided by a new watershed management plan that was developed in partnership with district communities and is in the final stages of review.

To fulfill the goals of the plan, the district will be applying an organizational philosophy that supports development of high-impact capital projects and a more efficient partnership in district land use and water policies.

In 2018, the district will focus on three areas within the watershed for developing major projects: Minnehaha Creek Subwatershed, Six Mile-Halsted Bay Subwatershed, and Painter’s Creek-Jennings Bay Subwatershed. In these subwatersheds, staff will be working on a variety of projects, from continuing work in the Minnehaha Creek Greenway in Hopkins and St. Louis Park to restoring the creek in Minneapolis, managing carp and wetlands in the Six Mile-Halsted Bay area.

DAVID CHANEN

Bloomington

‘Art Gate’ sculpture installed in South Loop

A sculpture was installed in Bloomington’s South Loop last week as part of the city’s efforts to add art to the business district.

“Art Gate,” designed by the Belarus-born sculptor Alexander Tylevich, is a functional emergency gate at the TownePlace Suites near the corner of 24th Avenue and Lindau Lane, across from the Mall of America.

The bronze and steel sculpture is 6 feet tall, 20 feet long and features the South Loop’s connection to wildlife and tourism.

The South Loop has become a major focus of the city’s campaign in creative place-making, a strategy that brings together local government, artists and other partners to shape the identity of a particular area.

The district is home not only to the MOA but Ikea, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and several major hotel chains, and is bordered by the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

Miguel Otárola

Golden Valley

Brookview razed to make way for new center

Brookview Community Center in Golden Valley was demolished Monday to make way for expansion of the new center.

The old community center, 200 Brookview Pkwy. S., opened in the 1920s and had gone through several renovations and expansions over the decades. In 2014, the city decided to build a new center instead of spending $6 million to repair the aging structure.

The City Council approved the $18.2 million project in 2015 and construction on the building began last October. Crews have started on the second phase of construction, where the former center once stood.

The grand opening for the new 37,000-square-foot center will be held Dec. 1, but the project won’t be completely finished until July 2018. It will include golf and lawn bowling courses, a bar and grill, a children’s playground and views of the Brookview Golf Course.

A video of the demolition can be seen at youtu.be/GgbSK6F4gbs/.

Miguel Otárola

Edina

Morningside development talks continue

Edina is moving forward with its development guidelines for future construction at the 44th Street and France Avenue intersection in the Morningside neighborhood.

A group creating the guidelines for the city’s comprehensive plan update will present concept drawings at a community meeting on Monday. The plan aims to address several aspects of construction, including height, density, parking and use.

This is the third meeting the group has conducted. Since they began, Morningside residents have mainly debated the height requirements for future buildings in the commercial center.

The 44th and France intersection, which is next to Minneapolis’ Linden Hills neighborhood, includes several small businesses and restaurants. Earlier this year, an Edina developer introduced plans to erect a five-story, mixed-use building near the intersection. The meeting is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Edina Morningside Community Church, 4201 Morningside Road.

The state's technology system has been plagued by high-profile failures, and finding someone willing to head the department has proven challenging. "It keeps me up at night," Walz said in an interview.